Directory board



Feb. 16 1926.

B. L. AKINS DIRECTORY BOARD Filed April ll, I4) 3,4 2,7 ,ze a

ATTUR/VEY P'zateiflteclr Feb. 16, 1926.

BRYANT L. AKINS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DIRECTORY BOARD.

Application filed April 11, 1925.

fo all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BRYANT L. AKiNs, a

citizen of the United States of America, residing at Brooklyn, KingsCounty, and

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDirectory Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to directory boards l0 and in particular to theconstruction of the same whereby they may be put up and the namesthereon changed from time to time as desired with a minimum of eli'ortand time.

A partici'ilar object of the invention is to provide a door fordirectory boards which can be entirely removed prior to changing thenames on the Iboard and which will be held in position after being unloclred so that it will not accidentally `fall on the ground and bebroken. Y,

A further object of the invention is to provide Va name strip holdingmember which will retain the'strips in proper position and whenrearrangement` of some of the strips vention,

. openings, 'G

is desired the same can be accomplished without interfering with theother strips.

Referring to the drawing wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of"my in`- Figure 1 is a front view of a directory board constructed inaccordance with my invention, parts thereof being'brolren away todisclose the interior,

Figure 2 is a section taken 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 8 of Figure 1,

Figure l is a front viewV in elevation of the strip retaining plate,several strips being shown in position, and t Figure 5 is an enlargedsection on linc 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure G is a top edge View showing the construction of the stripretaining plate or haclboai'd. f

Referring tothe drawing in detail 5 indicates the border or frame of a'directory board constructed in accordance with my invention, the framebeing cast to provide ornamented side grooves, and a plurality of ofwhich are for the directory vnaines and 7 of whichis for an ornamentalplate 8 preferably bearing the naine of the on the line teil/flies inwhat the @www is? Weser;

Serial No. 22,255.

as shown in the drawing, the word Directory may be cast integral withthe plate 8, the plate being held in position in the opening 7 bysoldering, welding or bolting to the fiange pieces 9 which border theopening 7 and are held inposition against the frame 5, in any suitablemanner.`

Extending around the interior of the frame 8 and suitably attachedthereto is the border 10 which is composed of pieces of angle iro'nwhich lit into the corners of the frame 5and are held in theirrectangular form by suitable corner braces 11 which are riveted thereto.Upon this interior border 10 I provide a connecting channel iron 12which connects the top and bottom pieces of the frame and which passesover a plurality of connecting strips 13 which join the sides of theborder 10fthe strips 13 and channel iron 12 constituting a base to whichthe frame 5 is bolted or otherwise suitably secured. In smallerdirectory boards the vertical channel iron 12 may be dispensed with. iThe frame v5 is substantially channelled shape in cross section and inthe directory board openings 6 there fits doors 111. A description ofone door, it is thought, will suftice. The door frame 15 is made ofangle iron and has in its lower portion an elon gated opening 16 and inits front lower por` tion around opening 17 which is adjacent theopening 16 and in which is adapted to be held by soldering, force' fit,or otherwise a ferrule-18 in which is disposed the outer end of a boltcarrier 19, the inner end of which is journaled in an opening 20 in theupstanding portion 21 ofa standard 22 which iswelded to the bottom ofthe door frame. The boltcarrier 19 at its outer end is slotted as 'at 23and at its midportion carries the bolt or latch 2l pinned theretowhichis adapted to be swung linto and out of engagenient with the insideedge of the frame 5. The bolt is operated by placing the end of a screwdriver or like tool. `in the slot 23 and'revolving the bolt carrier. l,

The door is not connected in any way with the frame 5, but the doorframe 15 has at its center top portion an upwardly projecting lip 25which engages the inside of the frame 5 after the manner of the boltwhen thesameli's. turned down to locking position.

` In most .doors of this character difh'culty has been experenel in,gettmgithe .door

ico

out when the names on the directory are to be changed, and in ordertonotonly overcome this objection but to also provid-eV an improved namestrip holder I provide a special strip holder 26 made .o'l resilientspring metal, consisting of a plate piece 27 the sides of which are bentas vat `2.8i toy form receptacles for the. ends of the name slips 29,the center or'. the plate :27 being ol'lset at 30 and curved outwardly.Openings 3l are provided in the plate 27 to match screw holes 32provided directly thereunder in the extended free edges o'f elongatedstrips 34: welded or otherwise securedto the plate 27 and extending thelength thereof. 'fl-iesestrips are attached through they medium ofscrews 34A to the cross pieces or strips 13? and provide a` yield alilebearing Jfor the plate or' bacllboard 2T, the center oli which is bulgedoutwardly so that it `will hold the name strip-sl 29 which are made `ofheavy composition board in place. Then the door is placed in positionthe glass thereof which is held in position in any suitable manner suchas by wedge blocks shown in lFig. 2, presses against 'the name stripsand causes depression of the bulging portion 80, and therefore holds thename strips from slipping. Inv placingv the door in position, the sameis manipulated until the tip 25 passes up behind the redge of the frame5, and then the lower edge ol the door is moved into' position until thebolt can be revolved to lock the' same in position. lVhen the door is inclosed position the name strip baclboard is tending to push it out, andwhen the lock is ope-ratedto release-the' ybottom of the door the lowerend. of the same is swung out by the spring tendency of the baelboard.llVlien the door is moved outiby the bacliboard its upper end is restingbetween the upper edge of the baclboard Q7 and the inner edge ot frame5, so that by its own weight it presses the lip hard enough against theedge of they frame to prevent 'the door sliding out, until it lis raisedto an oblique position relatively to the directory board whereit can bereadily drawn out. Thus the removal ot the door is made very easy andwhenv it has lieen entirely removed, the bulge SO in thel-)aclrboard Q7prevents any sliding nim-'ement ol' the `naine strips as it oei'ids.them out and their ends are held in ille turned over side edges"ihtuspas shown the name strips 29 can be snapped into the backboard inContact wi th each other or in spacedrelation and Awill ren'iain whereplaced. i A The baeliboard opei'iings 3l. and screw holes 32 areelongated so that adjustment can be made by loosening the screws 3l"which hold the plate or backboard '2i' and the baclrboar'd shifted up ordown as deaired.

'l iS 'Gvlsllf the@ IleW'EW-'Clfl will? proved directory board and onein which the-.name strips can be readily changed vWithout completerearrangement. Also the door can be removed without danger of itsfalling to the ground and. becoming damaged.

Having described my invention what l claim is :1-

1. A directory board comprising a frame, bracing members connecting theparts of said frame a depressible curved backboard attachedv to saidbracing members, strips held in said backboard,.and means associatedwith said baclrboard lor frictionally retaining the strips in position..

211A directory board comprising a door a yieldable outwardly curvedbackboard behind said door andl normally pressing against the same, namestrips adapted tov be placed VinV the baclrboard andi means formed insaid `backboard for maintaining the strips therein in any :positionrelatively to each other.

31. A' directory board comprising an ornamental frame7 a name stripholding element therein, a removable door for covering and flatteningout said element, and said element being curved for resilientlymaintaining said name strips against theA door when the latter is inclosed position in the trame.'

Ll.' A directory board comprising a frame, an arcuate shaped name stripholdingV ele-- ment therein, a door removably associated with said'frameandnormally urged outward by said element, ay lip on the top of saiddoor adapted to engage the frame, and a locking member in the bottom ofsaid door adapted to cooperate with the lip for preventingv Lprematureremoval of the door Jfrom said frame.

5. A directory board name strip holding member comprising a resilientplate having its longitudinal edges turned to provide grooves, andhaving an offset central bulging portion for retaining 4thename stripsin the position in which they areplaced in said holding member, and saidholding member being normally curved outwardly.

6. A. directory board comprising a frame having a plurality or' openingstherein, a name plate in one `of said openings, name slip holdingmembers inthe other openings, removable doors in said last mentionedopclr.A ings, locking .means for norn'ially retaining said doors inclosed position, and means assoeiated with said slip holding .n1-embersfor causing an outward swinging of the doors when the latter areunlocked.

7.' A directory board comprising a frame, a Cast nameplate therein, aname sl ip backlboard in said frame having a normally bulging resilientportion, means lor holding y name strips in saidv backboard, artransnirent door separably associated with the lframe and adapted tocover said `name strip hold;

.its bskboard? filmes for lacking door in position in the frame, thedoor when in central buiged portion, and turned edges position causingdepression of the baekinto which fit the ends of naine strips,reinboard, reinforcing' strips on Said frame, and forcing,` strips onthe back of said plate hav- 10 means in Said backboard for adjusting theing portions spaced from said plate7 and 5 saine relatively to saidreinforcing strips. said plate and said strips being provided 8. A namestrip holder for directory with matching openings therein. boardscomprising a resilient plate having a BRYANT L. AKINS.

